A recent study published in the journal Medical Entomology found that mosquitoes are unexpectedly breeding in windshield wash basins at gas stations.
The discovery of mosquito larvae, pupae, and emerging adults at nearly one-third of the gas station wash basins inspected was surprising because normally you would expect the soapy windshield wash water to kill them. The study found the Asian tiger mosquito, which can transmit the Zika virus, only inhabited basins with clearer water. Another mosquito, the southern house mosquito, was breeding in basin liquid that had a wide range of color and cloudiness, including some that seemed to have high levels of detergent.
This study was only done at gas stations near Raleigh, North Carolina, but it is probably a nationwide problem in gas stations that don’t change their water at least weekly. It is really surprising how some mosquito species so easily breed in any man-made containers, and how adapted they are to living with us.
